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Volume XCIII, Number 30 University of Southern California Thursday, February 24, 1983
Staff photo by Larry Gund
A debate between university representatives and RTD officials continues. Graduate student eligibility for discount bus passes is a major issue.
student discount program. John Dyer, RTD general manager, said that non-student adults are taking advantage of the program, which offers students monthly bus passes for S4 — substantially less than the S20 charged for regular monthly adult passes.
This fraud, officials said, may cost the county more than 52.7 million, so ways are being sought to tighten up eligibility requirements. One proposal recommends that an age limit be imposed to prevent older adult students — who are presumed to be wealthier than younger students — from using the student discount. One board member said a rule preventing students over the age
of 23 from buying student passes may be a good idea.
However, Dellicompagni said, "many graduate students are in the 25 or 26 age group," adding that such an age limit would hurt many struggling students who depend on bus transportation.
Dellicompagni was accompanied to the hearing by Dan Dunmoyer, president of the student senate, and Gloria Haithman, assistant director of commuter affairs.
Haithman urged the board not to institute an age limit, which she said would be "unfair."
"College students are generally older today than they were a decade ago," she said.
Referring to comments by some board members that some students are enrolling in "dummy courses" in order to qualifv as a student, Haithman said, "Graduate students are working toward a degree. They're not taking basket weaving courses."
Because the meeting was just a public hearing, a decision on whether the graduate student eligibility requirements are to be changed will not come until later. Board president Michael W. Lewis, who is also the chief deputy to county supervisor Pete Schabarum, said that a decision will most likely be announced at the board's general meeting on March 24.
7 Soviets offered jobs
Donors would fund professorships
By Laura Castaneda
Staff Writer
Private donors paid for the travel expenses of two university administrator's trip to the Soviet Union earlier this month that resulted in the offering of visiting professorships to seven Soviet scientists, a university professor said, Wednesday.
These anonymous donors have also offered to pay for the one-year professorships in six university departments if the Jewish scientists are allowed to come to the United States.
Cedric Minkin, an assistant professor and acting chair of the physiology department, said that "friends of the university" paid for the trip and pledged money, which will be donated only if the scientists are allowed to accept the positions.
"If they come, the money will be there," he said.
Irwin Lieb, vice president and dean cf the college of letters, arts and sciences, and Michael Melnick, research associate professor of basic sciences, recently returned from their 10-day trip to the Soviet Union, which was reported on the front page of the Los Angeles Times last week.
"They're very distinguished scientists," Lieb said. "But (the professorship offers) were also a gesture of concern."
Lieb and Melnick were issued tourist visas, but they did meet with the scientists, who have been denied the right to conduct research, to publish, to use libraries, and to participate ;n scientific meetings because they have publicly stated that they want to leave the Soviet Union.
In some cases, the scientists have been stripped of their degrees, dismissed from their jobs and one is now imprisoned in a labor camp.
Lieb said that the trip was kept secret because if the Soviet authorities discovered their true rea-
sons for visiting, their visas may have been revoked.
"We normally met in subway stations and then went to apartments and talked," he said, adding that three of the scientists accepted the university offers on the spot.
Lieb is hoping that the publicity from the offers — by focusing on the scientists' imposed living conditions — will keep the Soviet authorities from harrassing them.
Lieb, like most others involved, is uncertain whether the scientists will be allowed to come to the university, but he said the chances are slim.
The latest figures on Soviet emigration are not encouraging.
The number of people who have been allowed to leave the country has been declining steadily, said Dorothy Hirsch, co-chairman and executive director of the Committee of Concerned Scientists, a New York-based group dedicated to the human rights and freedom of scientists all over the world.
In 1979, she said, over 51,000 people were allowed to leave, but in 1982, the number dropped to 2,700.
Only 81 people were allowed to leave the Soviet Union last month, so the projection for the entire year would put the figure at less than 1,000.
"You could say immigration has stopped," Hirsch said.
She said that offers to Soviet scientists have been made in the past but never seven at the same time by the same university.
"It's really amazing," she said. "We hope it's going to be a pacesetter for other universities to follow suit."
Melnick is a member of the board of the Committee of Concerned Scientists and Marc Kac, a
(Continued on page 16)
Graduate bus pass is center of debate
By Steve DeSalvo
Assistant City Editor
University representatives at a public hearing Wednesday urged the Rapid Transit District to change its policy regarding the sale of student bus passes to full-time graduate students.
Current RTD policy states that 12 units is a full-time graduate course load and has refused to give discounts to students enrolled in less than that number — even though the university considers eight units to be a full-time load.
"We recommend that eight units be recognized as fulltime," said Daniel Dellicompagni, graduate vice president of the student senate. "Eight units of graduate work is considered full-time by USC and many other schools, as well as the U.S. government in granting financial aid," he said, adding that the same definiton should be applied by the RTD.
When Dellicompagni finished his address, board member Charles Storing questioned whether graduate students should be allowed to use the discount program, which offers students a monthly bus pass at one-fifth the price- of a regular pass.
"Any student who could afford graduate work at USC shouldn't even be allowed to use student bus passes," Storing said.
Dellicompagni responded, "Not everyone at USC is a millionaire or blessed with rich parents. It's a misnomer to say everyone at USC comes from a wealthy family.
“A large majority of the graduate students are working their way through college," he said.
The RTD ordered the hearing to review not only graduate student eligibility requirements, but to re-examine the entire
Student body shows apathy for senate
By Michael Molinski
Assistant City Editor
The student senate is trying everything possible to increase student awareness and involvement on campus, but its efforts are falling short of its expectations.
The senate held an open house Wednesday at its offices on the third floor of the Student Union building. Dan Dunmoyer, president of the senate, said he expected approximately 125 people to show up.
Similar to the senate's ill-fated open forum last week, the attendance Wednesday fell well short of his expectations. Approximately 70 people were there. Basically, the only people who showed up were administrators and those who are planning to run for =‘adent senate in the upcoming elections, Dunmoyer said.
Gallons of wine and soft drinks and boxes of cheese and crackers prepared for the visitors were left untouched.
The purpose of the open house was to "encourage students to come and ask questions and voice their opinions, to encourage students to come who are thinking of running for student senate, and for administrators to drop by and visit," he said.
Last week's senate forum held at Taper Hall was planned to inform students about some of the major issues that are of concern to them as students of this university. Two Daily Trojan reporters were the only ones in attendance outside of the senators them-
SelveS' (Continued on page 15)
Staff photo by Larry Gund
Festivities in conjunction with Black History Month continue. Here, Queen of the Nile dancers perform for students in front of Tommy Trojan.

trojan
Volume XCIII, Number 30 University of Southern California Thursday, February 24, 1983
Staff photo by Larry Gund
A debate between university representatives and RTD officials continues. Graduate student eligibility for discount bus passes is a major issue.
student discount program. John Dyer, RTD general manager, said that non-student adults are taking advantage of the program, which offers students monthly bus passes for S4 — substantially less than the S20 charged for regular monthly adult passes.
This fraud, officials said, may cost the county more than 52.7 million, so ways are being sought to tighten up eligibility requirements. One proposal recommends that an age limit be imposed to prevent older adult students — who are presumed to be wealthier than younger students — from using the student discount. One board member said a rule preventing students over the age
of 23 from buying student passes may be a good idea.
However, Dellicompagni said, "many graduate students are in the 25 or 26 age group," adding that such an age limit would hurt many struggling students who depend on bus transportation.
Dellicompagni was accompanied to the hearing by Dan Dunmoyer, president of the student senate, and Gloria Haithman, assistant director of commuter affairs.
Haithman urged the board not to institute an age limit, which she said would be "unfair."
"College students are generally older today than they were a decade ago," she said.
Referring to comments by some board members that some students are enrolling in "dummy courses" in order to qualifv as a student, Haithman said, "Graduate students are working toward a degree. They're not taking basket weaving courses."
Because the meeting was just a public hearing, a decision on whether the graduate student eligibility requirements are to be changed will not come until later. Board president Michael W. Lewis, who is also the chief deputy to county supervisor Pete Schabarum, said that a decision will most likely be announced at the board's general meeting on March 24.
7 Soviets offered jobs
Donors would fund professorships
By Laura Castaneda
Staff Writer
Private donors paid for the travel expenses of two university administrator's trip to the Soviet Union earlier this month that resulted in the offering of visiting professorships to seven Soviet scientists, a university professor said, Wednesday.
These anonymous donors have also offered to pay for the one-year professorships in six university departments if the Jewish scientists are allowed to come to the United States.
Cedric Minkin, an assistant professor and acting chair of the physiology department, said that "friends of the university" paid for the trip and pledged money, which will be donated only if the scientists are allowed to accept the positions.
"If they come, the money will be there," he said.
Irwin Lieb, vice president and dean cf the college of letters, arts and sciences, and Michael Melnick, research associate professor of basic sciences, recently returned from their 10-day trip to the Soviet Union, which was reported on the front page of the Los Angeles Times last week.
"They're very distinguished scientists," Lieb said. "But (the professorship offers) were also a gesture of concern."
Lieb and Melnick were issued tourist visas, but they did meet with the scientists, who have been denied the right to conduct research, to publish, to use libraries, and to participate ;n scientific meetings because they have publicly stated that they want to leave the Soviet Union.
In some cases, the scientists have been stripped of their degrees, dismissed from their jobs and one is now imprisoned in a labor camp.
Lieb said that the trip was kept secret because if the Soviet authorities discovered their true rea-
sons for visiting, their visas may have been revoked.
"We normally met in subway stations and then went to apartments and talked," he said, adding that three of the scientists accepted the university offers on the spot.
Lieb is hoping that the publicity from the offers — by focusing on the scientists' imposed living conditions — will keep the Soviet authorities from harrassing them.
Lieb, like most others involved, is uncertain whether the scientists will be allowed to come to the university, but he said the chances are slim.
The latest figures on Soviet emigration are not encouraging.
The number of people who have been allowed to leave the country has been declining steadily, said Dorothy Hirsch, co-chairman and executive director of the Committee of Concerned Scientists, a New York-based group dedicated to the human rights and freedom of scientists all over the world.
In 1979, she said, over 51,000 people were allowed to leave, but in 1982, the number dropped to 2,700.
Only 81 people were allowed to leave the Soviet Union last month, so the projection for the entire year would put the figure at less than 1,000.
"You could say immigration has stopped," Hirsch said.
She said that offers to Soviet scientists have been made in the past but never seven at the same time by the same university.
"It's really amazing," she said. "We hope it's going to be a pacesetter for other universities to follow suit."
Melnick is a member of the board of the Committee of Concerned Scientists and Marc Kac, a
(Continued on page 16)
Graduate bus pass is center of debate
By Steve DeSalvo
Assistant City Editor
University representatives at a public hearing Wednesday urged the Rapid Transit District to change its policy regarding the sale of student bus passes to full-time graduate students.
Current RTD policy states that 12 units is a full-time graduate course load and has refused to give discounts to students enrolled in less than that number — even though the university considers eight units to be a full-time load.
"We recommend that eight units be recognized as fulltime," said Daniel Dellicompagni, graduate vice president of the student senate. "Eight units of graduate work is considered full-time by USC and many other schools, as well as the U.S. government in granting financial aid," he said, adding that the same definiton should be applied by the RTD.
When Dellicompagni finished his address, board member Charles Storing questioned whether graduate students should be allowed to use the discount program, which offers students a monthly bus pass at one-fifth the price- of a regular pass.
"Any student who could afford graduate work at USC shouldn't even be allowed to use student bus passes," Storing said.
Dellicompagni responded, "Not everyone at USC is a millionaire or blessed with rich parents. It's a misnomer to say everyone at USC comes from a wealthy family.
“A large majority of the graduate students are working their way through college," he said.
The RTD ordered the hearing to review not only graduate student eligibility requirements, but to re-examine the entire
Student body shows apathy for senate
By Michael Molinski
Assistant City Editor
The student senate is trying everything possible to increase student awareness and involvement on campus, but its efforts are falling short of its expectations.
The senate held an open house Wednesday at its offices on the third floor of the Student Union building. Dan Dunmoyer, president of the senate, said he expected approximately 125 people to show up.
Similar to the senate's ill-fated open forum last week, the attendance Wednesday fell well short of his expectations. Approximately 70 people were there. Basically, the only people who showed up were administrators and those who are planning to run for =‘adent senate in the upcoming elections, Dunmoyer said.
Gallons of wine and soft drinks and boxes of cheese and crackers prepared for the visitors were left untouched.
The purpose of the open house was to "encourage students to come and ask questions and voice their opinions, to encourage students to come who are thinking of running for student senate, and for administrators to drop by and visit," he said.
Last week's senate forum held at Taper Hall was planned to inform students about some of the major issues that are of concern to them as students of this university. Two Daily Trojan reporters were the only ones in attendance outside of the senators them-
SelveS' (Continued on page 15)
Staff photo by Larry Gund
Festivities in conjunction with Black History Month continue. Here, Queen of the Nile dancers perform for students in front of Tommy Trojan.